​Ballynahinch and Instonians ready for Ulster Senior Cup clash to set up City of Armagh date

By Ciaran Donaghy
Published 23rd Dec 2023, 04:00 BST
Clem Boyd, the current Instonians director of rugby, as club coach in 2010. (Photo by Angus Bicker/PressEye Ltd)Clem Boyd, the current Instonians director of rugby, as club coach in 2010. (Photo by Angus Bicker/PressEye Ltd)
Clem Boyd, the current Instonians director of rugby, as club coach in 2010. (Photo by Angus Bicker/PressEye Ltd)
​Ballynahinch and Instonians clash in the remaining Ulster Senior Cup quarter-final with the winners facing a trip to City of Armagh.

Ballynahinch, the defending cup winners, have already retained the Ulster Senior League title and riding high in the top tier of the All Ireland League pushing for the end-of-season play-offs.

Instonians are the second-most successful club in the Ulster Senior Cup with 19 wins, five behind Belfast neighbours Queen’s although the Shaw’s Bridge club’s last success came in 1999. Inst are on a record-breaking run in the AIL, having won 27 consecutive games with bonus points.

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Inst director of rugby and former Ulster prop Clem Boyd feels the Shaw’s Bridge side are huge underdogs travelling to Ballymacarn Park.

“It is a fantastic opportunity and great to be part of the senior cup playing against Ballynahinch, who are currently the top-placed Ulster team,” stated Boyd. “The pressure is all on Hinch, we are picking the strongest team we can, we are going to go up there and I want to see everyone give the best account of themselves and they will, and we’ll know where we are.

“It has been a long time since we won it, last year we played Harlequins but we were focusing on the league and with the way they timings fell we didn’t have our strongest team. This year we want to have a good go at the cup, but we have drawn a top team, but you have got to beat them all.

“The pressure is all on Hinch, it is in their backyard, they are playing a team that are three divisions below them and there are 25 teams between us.”

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Despite nine wins out of nine in the AIL and a six-point cushion at the top of Division 2B, Boyd thinks there is still room for improvement.

“Our league form of late hasn’t been great, while we have been scoring points our defence isn’t up to scratch, he said. “The higher up you go and lose the ball the harder it is to get it back...you only get it back when you’re kicking off.”

Old acquaintances will be reunited - Inst backs Ian Whitten and Rhys O’Donnell had spells at Hinch while Boyd coached the man in the Ballymacarn hot seat, Adam Craig.

Former Ulster prop Schalk van der Merwe and Alan Whitten start in the Inst front row.

Robert Whitten is ruled out due to injury, but brother Ian starts at centre.​​​​​​​